Survival Mechanisms
by scifislasher
Summary: [SPD] When Sky disappears on what should have been a routine patrol it becomes a race against time to find him. When they find him however, he's not exactly the same. JackSky. AU, set postEndings
1. Chapter 1

Survival Mechanisms

"Oh, come on," Jack wheedled. "Just one game. One game, Sky, that's it."

Sky sighed. "Fine. One game. But then we're going back to base. We have to be up early tomorrow morning."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. Come _on._"

With that, Jack dragged Sky into the video arcade and promptly set about challenging his 2IC to a match, loser buying drinks.

Two hours later they strolled out, laughing over nothing in particular, until Jack stopped, pulling Sky with him into an empty alley and kissing him thoroughly, finally giving in to the temptation that had been taunting him all evening. Sky responded without hesitation and Jack slid his hands down the other man's back, down over Sky's ass, fingers lightly caressing. Sky's hands meanwhile tightened their grip on him, one on his waist, one in his hair, both pulling him closer. Jack knew they shouldn't be doing this, not here and not now, but Sky's taste was dizzying, making him more reckless than usual and he simply didn't care anymore. He thrust his hips forward into Sky's, grinding against the other man, making Sky groan with pleasure.

The hand in his hair dropped to his waist as Sky's fingers slid under the waistband of his jeans and brushed against bare skin. Jack hmmed appreciatively and then jerked experimentally on Sky's pants.

"Yeah," Sky whispered and Jack needed no further invitation, fumbling impatiently with the zip before it gave way, then moving on, with Sky repeating the action, the other man cursing slightly when the zip on Jack's jeans refused to co-operate. Finally though, the restrictions were gone, pooled around their feet instead of getting in the way of the really important things like getting off.

Although there was glorious friction taking over his brain, Jack was more aware than ever of Sky's presence, the other man's breath on his ear as Sky alternately moaned and gasped out words like 'yes', 'more', 'there' and 'so good, God so good', pushing Jack higher and higher. Sky would have bruises on his hips the next day from where Jack grabbing at him, but Jack knew he'd have bruises of his own, especially on his shoulders where Sky was hanging on for dear life as his body shuddered from release.

It wasn't much longer before Jack was the one hanging on, biting down on Sky's shoulder to muffle the yell he knew would come out otherwise.

"This was a really bad idea," Sky mumbled when he'd revived slightly. "Now we have to go back to base like this."

Jack groaned a little in dismay. He'd gotten out of the habit of needing to be prepared for emergencies like this one since he'd joined SPD, and even after he and Sky started getting more and more physical he'd never been caught out this way. "Clean handkerchief?" he hazarded. "Tissues?" he added reluctantly, because rough tissues on still sensitive skin? Not appealing.

Sky grumbled as he hiked his pants back up and began going through his pockets, eventually producing a rumpled, but clean, handkerchief. The expression on Sky's face when they'd finished cleaning up was priceless, holding the handkerchief by the edge between his thumb and forefinger. "That's disgusting," he noted, looking round for a bin to toss it into and coming up empty.

Jack sighed, grabbed it off him and dropped it onto a pile of rubbish bags. "There," he said, wiping his hand down the side of his jeans. "Done. What?" he added, as Sky's expression sank in.

"Equally disgusting," Sky said, his nose wrinkled slightly.

Jack frowned, then realised Sky was talking about his jeans and he shrugged. "They needed washing anyway," he replied casually, not mentioning that he'd had far worse clean-ups in his time. "Come on," he continued. "Let's just get back to base."

-----

The following day Jack followed Sky down into the parking lot that housed their squad car and Sky's bike, Sky getting ready to go on patrol. "Try not to take too long," he said casually as Sky straddled his bike, fishing out the helmet. "We got plans, don't forget."

"As if I could," Sky replied dryly. "You've only mentioned it what, five times today?"

Jack stuck his tongue out briefly and Sky gave him a wicked grin. "Be careful what you do with that tongue," he teased. "You'll need it later."

"And you'll need plenty of energy," Jack countered. "So don't wear yourself out too much." Leaning forward slightly so he could whisper into Sky's ear, Jack began detailing everything he planned on doing to Sky when the other man got back off patrol and he was pleased to note the way Sky's breath hitched and the tight grip the blue ranger had on his bike.

"Do you have any idea how hard it's going to be to ride like this?" Sky hissed when he was done. "You did that on purpose."

"Who, me?" Jack replied innocently. "Would I do that?"

"Yes," Sky snapped. "You would."

Jack shrugged carelessly as he turned and sauntered off towards the stairs. "Well, at least you'll be riding something, right?" he responded with a grin tossed over his shoulder, taking great pleasure in the outraged expression on Sky's face. He didn't need to hear the muttered curses to know Sky would get him back for this. Still, when Sky was pissed off the sex was hotter than usual so he wasn't complaining.

-----

_Missing, missing, missing. Sky was missing._ Snatched from right under their noses, or so it seemed, leaving Jack wanting to howl with frustration. Missing a check-in wasn't like Sky, so when the check-in time for his patrol came and went without him calling in, it was a major cause for concern. Tracing the signal from Sky's morpher had led them to his bike, which was lying on its side, none the worse for wear. Sky's helmet was on the opposite side of the road, where it seemed to have rolled after the presumed crash.

Jack paced his room, his nerves jangling, begging for _something_ to do. Something productive that would get Sky back from wherever he'd been taken. The blue ranger had missing for almost a week now and the strain was beginning to take its toll. As of yet their search had turned up very little, most of it useless. The only lead they had came from Bridge's reading of Sky's morpher, for some reason it had been left behind - either because Sky had dropped it, or because whoever had taken him knew they could use it to find where they were.

It didn't matter though. The images Bridge had seen could be any one of a hundred places, and the longer Sky was missing, the more worried Jack became. The thing that made it worse? He couldn't tell anyone _why_ he was worried, why Sky being missing turned his stomach to a roiling knot of nerves and frustration, why he needed so badly to _find_ the other man. A whispered sense-memory of Sky's mouth on his, the blue ranger's fingers trailing down his arm, reflexively clenched Jack's hands into fists.

He needed to find Sky. And soon.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

"Jack, we'll find him," Z said firmly, her face a mixture of concern and determination.

"I know." _Hopefully in time._

"Then why are you wearing a hole in the floor?"

"I don't like the team being down a member, that's all." It was even true. To a point. Gruumm might be gone, but there were still criminals out there that would love to take a shot at Earth and they couldn't afford to be down a team-mate, especially not for this long. It just wasn't the whole story.

-----

Two days later, they hit pay-dirt. CCTV from Sky's abduction was fractured, the cameras all going out at the same time in a move that had obviously been planned in advance, but the people behind it clearly hadn't counted on a pissed off Kat Manx, along with an equally pissed off Bridge Carson, because they had managed to gain access to footage from other sources, including cleaned up and reconstructed footage from SPD satellites that had been hit by interference but not wiped completely, and now they knew what had happened to Sky, how he'd been taken and who had done it. Now all they had to do was start putting out tracers for faces and registration plates.

They were closing in.

-----

Kennick Labs.

All the tracers they'd put out led back there and Jack didn't want to think about Sky being held in a place like that. There could be only one reason a lab would want Sky and that was for his genetic abilities. The thought of Sky being poked and prodded as people tried to find out how the other man created his shields left Jack in a barely controlled rage and he was determined to get Sky out of there as soon as possible, not to mention doing as much damage on his way out as he could get away with.

-----

Stalking down the halls of the lab, Jack's head came up sharply at the sound of screams and crashes echoing down the corridor. The decision had been made in advance to go in morphed and in SWAT mode (if they proved unable to get in using regular procedures), just to make it clear they weren't messing around, and it was looking to be a very prescient decision as the four remaining members of B Squad exchanged glances behind their visors, then followed the screams. Even if they didn't find Sky there they'd most likely find someone who could tell them where he was.

In the end it didn't matter. Turning a corner they found Sky stalking down the hall, his arms out to the sides, his hands glowing blue, the walls buckling as he passed.

"That can't be good," Syd whispered, followed by a muttered "Ya think?" from Z.

Just then a door just in front of Sky flew open and a man fell out onto the floor. Sky stopped, his hands dropping to his sides, but instead of being reassured all Jack felt was a chilling sense of _wrong_ and he didn't need to wait long to find out he was right.

"Doctor Kennedy," Sky said softly. "I've been looking for you."

_Uh oh_, Jack thought as Sky picked the man up by his throat and held him against the wall. _Not good. Seriously not good. When did he get that strong?_ "Sky, put him down."

The blue ranger ignored him, his grip on the man's throat tightening. "Do you like your job, doctor?" he asked, his voice still soft, pleasant almost, but deadly nonetheless. Most worrying of all though was the faint robotic undertone, as if someone were running a synthesiser in time with Sky's voice, distorting it enough to be unnerving, though not enough to be unrecognisable.

Jack aimed a warning shot just past Sky's head - close enough to threaten, not close enough to actually do any damage. Much to his dismay Sky didn't even blink. The doctor flinched and whimpered at the sound of the laser bullet impacting on the wall, but Sky didn't so much as twitch. Jack shifted his blaster in his hands uneasily. He didn't want to have to shoot Sky but considering the warning shot had had no effect, it was beginning to look like it might be his only option. "Sky," he tried again. "You need to stop this. Put him down."

Again he was ignored. "It's a very simple question," Sky continued, as if he hadn't heard. "Do you enjoy raping people's minds for the things that terrify them the most and then using it against them?"

Jack froze. _Shit. Double shit._ Okay. No more time to hold back, the doctor's face was beginning to turn an alarming shade of red and Sky didn't seem inclined to let go anytime soon. He moved forward and grabbed hold of Sky's arm. Well, he tried to. The moment his hand came into contact with Sky's arm the other man's head snapped round, his eyes hard as stone, and before he knew what was happening Jack found himself flying through the air until he crashed into a wall, his morph failing. He sat up dazedly and shook his head to try and shake off the dizziness.

Bridge and Syd were taking over where he'd left off, trying to talk Sky down while Z ran over to him to make sure he was alright. Waving her off, Jack climbed unsteadily to his feet. It wasn't the first time he'd been on the receiving end of one of Sky's shields, but the last time had been nowhere near the force of this blast. Making his way back over to the others, it was clear that they were having even less success than he'd had and judging by the way their blasters were hanging loose in their hands, they didn't want to shoot Sky any more than he did. That left one option.

Bracing himself quickly, he launched himself at his clearly-out-of-his-mind boyfriend, knocking him to the floor and releasing the hold Sky had the so-called doctor. "Judge and confine him," he called to the others, pinning Sky's hands to the floor and jerking his head at the unconscious scientist as the blue ranger twisted beneath him in an attempt to get up. "Sky, stop it," he snapped. "This isn't you."

Grey-blue eyes glared up at him, glittering with malice and not the slightest trace of recognition. "Get off me," Sky snarled, the distortion in his voice stronger now.

"Not a chance. Not until you calm down."

It was useless though. Sky continued to rage against him, his body twisting and bucking in his attempts to throw Jack off. Before Sky decided to blast him with another shield, Jack released his grip quickly and slammed his elbow into the side of Sky's head. Much to his relief Sky stilled, his head lolling to the side, out cold. Sighing quietly with relief, Jack sat back on his heels. "Okay, someone tell me you got that other guy."

"Here," Z replied, waving a containment card in his direction.

"Good. We'll need to talk to him. Now," he continued as he got to his feet. "All we need to do is get Sky back to base and try to work out what the _fuck_ just happened."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

Jack leant against the door to the infirmary's isolation room, the room currently holding Sky, now in restraints in case whatever had flipped him out before hadn't worn off. None of the nurses were present, although he figured they were around somewhere, and the doctor who'd taken over Sky's case was also nowhere to be seen, which pissed Jack off more than a little. Doctor Felix wouldn't have left and neither would Kat. It was just too bad that neither of them had been available when they'd got Sky back to base. He straightened automatically as Sky shifted slightly, eyelashes fluttering a little before he woke fully, assessing his situation in a heartbeat.

He winced as Sky jerked against the restraints holding him to the bed, tugging hard on them only to have no luck in getting free. "Sky, it's okay. You just need to calm down." His heart sank as Sky's eyes latched onto him, no more sense of recognition than before, before he jerked harder against the restraints holding him down. "Sky, calm down," he tried again. "You'll hurt yourself if you keep doing that." The blue ranger ignored him, continuing to fight the restraints keeping him on the bed. "Sky, I mean it."

He thought he was finally getting through as Sky stilled, but his hope was shattered as Sky flared blue for a moment, bursting the restraints and sliding off the bed, heading for Jack and the door with a fluid and deadly grace. Standing in the doorway Jack was acutely aware that getting in Sky's way right now was probably not one of his better ideas, but he didn't know what else to do. Sky couldn't be let loose on the base, not in this condition, so stopping him leaving was the only option.

Unfortunately, his presence didn't seem to concern Sky any, the blue ranger simply grabbing hold of him and throwing him into the wall by the entrance to the main infirmary section. Jack dropped to the floor hard, the wind knocked out of him, his vision blurring as he fought off unconsciousness. He couldn't afford to pass out now, not with Sky like this. On the plus side, Sky seemed to think he was out of action and thus wasn't paying him any more attention. That worked to his advantage as he was able to throw himself at his boyfriend in an ungainly rush that was successful due more to luck than training.

"Sky come on, snap out of it," he said as Sky twisted beneath him. "I'm not gonna let you up so you might as well forget that. Come on, man, shake it off."

He yelled in shock as he was blasted off Sky and into the air, Sky's shields activating again. Until now, Jack had never seen Sky use his shields offensively. As a defensive measure yes, and that was usually through gestures. Sky using his shields this way, a pulse of energy blasting out from his body in a conscious attack, was something new, as was the aggression behind them. He didn't have time to think about the implications of that though as once again he hit the ground hard, and this time Sky didn't dismiss him, instead walking over to him and picking him up, slamming him forcefully into the nearest wall, knocking out whatever breath Jack had had left before spinning him round and throwing him into the opposite wall. This time when Jack hit the floor, he didn't get up again.

-----

When he came to, it was to find Kat hovering over him, her expression brightening with relief when he focused on her. "Good, you're awake," she said, not quite able to hide the relief in her voice.

"Oh God, what hit me?" Jack mumbled as he braced himself against the floor and tried to push himself to his feet. Failing that, he settled for sitting against the wall taking mental stock of exactly how many places hurt like hell. The number was quite high and in fact his whole body felt like one giant bruise. He hadn't felt this battered since the battle that had ended Gruumm's attempts at taking Earth and that day they'd been in three separate battles: A Squad, Broodwing and his lackeys, and Omni.

"What's the last thing you remember, Jack?" Kat asked cautiously and Jack thought back, ignoring the pounding in his head. His eyes widened in shock.

"Sky, he got out. I tried to stop him, but--"

"It's okay, Jack. Sky's over there," Kat interjected, gesturing across the room to where Sky was lying in a slump on the floor. "I managed to sedate him before he could leave, but I couldn't get him onto a bed by myself."

"Yeah, he's heavy," Jack replied absently. "Kat, do you have any idea what's going on with him? Why's he acting like this?"

The feline scientist sighed and shook her head. "I don't know Jack, I'm behind on this as it is." That said, she stood up and moved over to where Sky was lying. Forcing himself to his feet, Jack followed her. She might not know the details, but he had more faith in Kat figuring this out than the doctor previously in charge. He'd never wished for Doctor Felix's presence more.

Kat hissed quietly as she held Sky's wrist in her hand. "I'm going to have a very long talk with Dr. Harris for this," she said grimly. Doctor Harris was the head doctor when neither Doctor Felix or Kat were available, and since Kat had been busy with her other duties and Doctor Felix was away at a medical conference on one of the Kerovan colonies, Harris was in charge.

"What? Why?" Jack asked, his concern rising another level.

Kat held out Sky's wrist and there was a gnawing sense of horror as Jack took in the bruises and other marks that were there. A quick glance showed the same story on the other wrist. "Could this have happened just now?" he asked quietly, already knowing what the answer would be.

"No," Kat replied. "These are old. Whatever happened to Sky over the past ten days, he was held down for most of it." She shook her head with frustration. "Harris should have known that, and while the restraints may have seemed necessary, Sky should never have been put in them."

"No wonder he flipped out," Jack said quietly, taking a quick look at the remains of the burst restraints hanging loose from the bed in the isolation room. "He probably thought he was still back there."

"Most likely," Kat agreed. "Keep an eye on him for a moment, Jack. I want to take a blood sample."

"Is that a good idea?" Jack asked uneasily.

"Better to do it now while he's still out than to try when he's awake. I need to know if there's anything in his system that could account for this and I'm not going to rely on Harris' results, if he even took any blood samples at all."

Jack sighed and looked away. Kat was the scientist here, she knew what she was doing. He just hoped she'd find something that could explain all this.

Sky stirred again and Jack looked round for Kat sharply. "Kat, he's waking up."

"What?" she demanded. "He shouldn't be waking up for at least another hour."

"Yeah, you tell him that."

Hard blue eyes snapped open, but before Sky could move or do anything something seemed to snap, an unnerving stillness followed by Sky's body spasming suddenly. Jack stared in horror as blue and black armour seemed to appear out of nowhere and began covering Sky's body like a mist, parts of it solidifying around Sky's wrists as gauntlets took shape over his hands and forearms, the faint outlines of a helmet appearing around Sky's head.

"Jack, you have to stop the transformation," Kat's voice was frantic behind him. "If you don't we'll lose him forever."

The words were a stab in the gut and Jack was determined that that wasn't going to happen, they weren't losing Sky. Not to this, not to anything. Twining his fingers through Sky's, he straddled the other man's hips, pinning him to the floor that way rather than holding him down by the wrists. "Sky it's okay, you're safe now. You're back at the Delta base, no-one here would hurt you. And anyone who tried would have to get through me first. Come on Sky, come back to me."

-----

Kat watched, hardly daring to breathe as Jack tried everything to pull Sky back from the brink of transformation. This had to work. It had to. They couldn't lose Sky, not to this. She knew now what was happening, how far Sky had been pushed during his captivity in Kennick Labs, but she didn't know if the rangers would be able to handle having to destroy a team-mate.

-----

Jack tightened his grip on Sky's hands, reduced to shameless begging after nothing else worked - not pleading, not yelling - and now all he could do was kneel in the wreckage of the room and whisper 'please' over and over again, hoping that somewhere inside, Sky could hear him.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

He didn't know how long he'd knelt there, it felt like forever, but it suddenly sank in that Sky's grip had gone slack and it seemed he'd passed out again. Fortunately though, the ghostlike armour had faded and the inhuman strength of Sky's grip had vanished as well. It was too early to be completely relieved however. Yes, the immediate threat of the transformation was gone, but there was no guarantee that when Sky woke up he'd be himself again, no guarantee that the transformation wouldn't start all over again. In fact, so far the odds were against that happening, but Jack held onto his hope with grim determination. He wasn't ready to give up on Sky yet.

"Kat, what just happened?"

"How well do you know your ranger history?" the scientist replied and he gave her an exasperated look.

"Now is not the time for a history lesson, Kat."

"Actually, it is. What do you know about the Space Rangers?"

Jack sighed in frustration then, because Kat seemed to want an answer, he cast his mind back over what little had stuck from that class. "Um, they fought whatshername. Astronema?"

"Correct. One of the weapons Astronema used was a group of former rangers, although not ones from Earth. They were known as the Psycho Rangers and they were everything the rangers were, except exactly the opposite."

"Psycho Rangers?" Jack asked in confusion. "Former Rangers? Like the A Squad?"

"A little. There's a very rare phenomenon amongst rangers, almost like a switch, if you will. When a ranger is pushed beyond endurance, that switch is flipped, giving them an incredible energy burst. It's a last ditch survival mechanism, but once that switch has been flipped it's very hard to turn off, and if it gets to the point of transformation it's almost impossible."

Going cold all over, Jack sat there in silence as Kat's words sank in. "So… Sky was becoming one of these Psycho Rangers?" It seemed impossible to believe and if he hadn't seen the armour appearing over Sky's body he wasn't sure he _could_ believe it.

"Yes," Kat replied sombrely. "And if the transformation had been completed we would have lost him completely. No one has ever come back from that mental state. Everything that makes Sky who he is would have been gone. Psycho Rangers aren't truly alive anymore, they don't feel things like happiness, mercy… love. All they feel is rage and the need to destroy."

Jack's fingers gripped Sky's harder, fear an icy stone in his gut. "But that's not going to happen now, right? We stopped the transformation."

"For the moment. We don't know what will happen when Sky wakes up again."

Jack was silent for a moment, absorbing the information. "So. These Psycho Rangers. They come from things like fears? Really bad memories? That kind of thing?"

"Yes."

He hesitated, his thumb running idly along the back of Sky's hand in a subconscious attempt at reassurance, then… "Sky has a _lot_ of shit in his head, Kat." Actually, that was practically the understatement of the year. Possibly the decade. In the space of one year Sky had been betrayed by his best friend; body-switched with a criminal to be deleted on sight, not to mention coming way too close to being confined for Jack's peace of mind; then there was Mirloc. That wasn't even counting the inevitable but hated comparisons to his father Sky had faced ever since he'd joined SPD, and the equally inevitable expectations that had been hanging over his head. Looking back, it was no wonder Sky's attitude had been so rigid if that was what he'd had ringing in his ears for who knew how many years.

He'd grown up a lot during the war against Gruumm, they all had, but Sky had come out of it more damaged than the rest of them, more broken, no matter how hard he tried to hide it, or how well he succeeded most of the time. It was just little things, small moments when all of Sky's vulnerabilities were laid out for anyone who cared to see. Jack thought it was worse that sometimes no one else noticed.

Half an hour later - half an hour of Kat's fingers tapping away at a computer keyboard and frowning at the screen, half an hour of nothing - Jack tensed at the faint twitch of Sky's fingers against his, bracing himself to start the confrontation all over again as Sky's eyes flickered open, slowly focusing on him. It took a moment to realise that Sky was looking at him, really _looking_, not glaring, not looking as if he were about to try to wipe the floor with him yet again. If anything he looked… confused.

"Jack? What's going on?"

His chest tightening with something indescribable, Jack squeezed Sky's hands tightly as he rested his head briefly against Sky's shoulder. "Welcome back," he whispered and he could feel Sky frowning, even without looking.

"Did I go somewhere?"

Jack laughed softly. "Long story," he said as Sky sat up and looked around.

"What happened in here?" Sky asked, disbelief colouring his tone as he took in everything. "The place looks like a bomb hit it."

"Not far wrong," Jack replied. "You happened."

"Excuse me?"

"Part of that long story."

There was a pause. "Jack?"

"Yeah?"

"Why's everyone staring at us?"

"Everyone?" Jack asked in confusion, there was only him and Kat… He followed Sky's gaze to find the rest of B Squad and, his heart sank, Commander Cruger, standing in the doorway. He swallowed and glanced down at his and Sky's still linked hands.

Crap.

-----

"Jack. A word with you," Commander Cruger said evenly and both Jack and Sky tensed.

"But--"

"I'm sure Kat wants to give Sky a proper examination now that he's awake and we need to clear up a few things."

Glancing at Sky, whose concerned expression mirrored his own, Jack braced himself and stood up. "Might as well get this over with," he muttered under his breath as he walked out the room into the main section of the infirmary, then out into the corridor. The Commander followed him out, but there was a moment of heavy silence before the Sirian said anything, leaving Jack uneasy and wishing the yelling would just start already.

"How long?" came the eventual question and Jack stared back defiantly.

"Long enough."

"Would you care to elaborate?"

It wasn't question. Jack treated it as one anyway. "No, sir." Maybe if the Commander's attitude hadn't been quite so antagonistic he would answered, but as it was the confrontational stance simply pushed all the wrong buttons and he felt himself getting angrier about having to be out here, justifying himself for no good reason, when by all rights he should be back in the infirmary with Sky, making sure he didn't freak out again.

"I can make it an order, cadet."

"Yes, sir, you can. But it's not your business what Sky and I do in our off-duty hours. Our private lives are ours and you have no right to tell us what we can and can't do in them. Sir. Our personal lives are not your playground." Jack bit his lip and shut up abruptly. That was going too far.

Cruger stared at him, face expressionless. "Dismissed, cadet," he said coldly and Jack saluted before walking back into what was left of the isolation area.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

Z watched in concern as Jack stalked back into the room, his face blank as he moved over to the bed and waited for Kat to finish her check-up on Sky. It was a never a good sign when Jack got that expressionless, so whatever had been said outside obviously hadn't gone well. Well, it hadn't been so different in here, either. Sky hadn't looked at them once, his attention fixed firmly on a nearby wall and he'd been answering Kat's questions in monosyllables. She wasn't even sure he'd been registering Kat's brief rundown of the past few days his expression was that blank and apprehension sat heavily in her stomach.

Sky didn't like physicals anymore than the rest of them did, but he'd never had to force himself to stay calm before. And he'd never panicked before one like he had just now. Kat had only picked up a thermometer but Sky had thrown himself backwards, all but plastering himself to the wall, his face white as a sheet. Kat had barely been able to coax him back to the bed when Jack had come back in and she wondered uneasily what happened to make Sky freak out so badly. About five minutes later though, Kat had finished and Sky noticeably relaxed.

She sighed inwardly as Kat moved away, giving Jack the opportunity to sit down on the bed next to Sky, their bodies mirroring each other, and it was obvious they were talking about something, most likely whatever had happened with the Commander. How long had those two been seeing each other, she wondered. And why hadn't Jack said anything? He couldn't have thought she'd react badly. Could he?

-----

"How'd it go with the Commander?" Sky asked quietly and Jack winced.

"It could've gone better." Filling in the details in for Sky, Jack sighed softly when he'd finished. "I think I just made things worse. I know for a fact I didn't make it easier."

"We knew this wouldn't be easy," Sky pointed out quietly.

"Yeah, but I don't think we ever took into account me shouting my mouth off at the Commander," Jack replied, his smile a ghost of its former self.

"Probably should have though," Sky said in a determined attempt at humour. "It wouldn't be the first time, after all."

Jack grinned a little. "True. I just… I don't like the way he keeps things from us, you know? Things that we should know. Like… our parents all being SPD. Okay, you knew, but the rest of us didn't. Then there was that history with Benaag, I mean, I know it was hard for him to talk about, but we needed to know that. Then there was that mess with Mirloc. I don't get why he gets to keep important things from us because we apparently didn't need to know, while he tells hardly anything about himself but he butts into our lives, wanting to know everything and making decisions for us when we're perfectly capable of doing it ourselves, without thinking that _maybe_ he might be wrong. I mean, what gives him the right to tell us what we can do with our lives anyway?"

His tirade was cut off by Sky resting his forehead against Jack's own. "Feel better?" the other man asked quietly and Jack snorted softly.

"A bit," he admitted. "But how can you be so calm?" he demanded as Sky pulled back slightly. He'd expected the other man to either agree with him or tell him he was overreacting. Not this quiet acceptance as he vented.

"Overload, I think," Sky said with a shrug. "I just got told I was missing for ten days, that I went postal and wrecked a major laboratory, wrecked the isolation room when I got back here, not to mention I don't remember a thing after being on patrol, and apparently I can't have a physical now without panicking and wanting to run as far and fast as I can. After all that, nothing else really makes a dent."

"I'll bet." Jack leant forward slightly so his head was resting against Sky's again. "You'll be alright, you know? You'll get through this. We both will."

Sky nodded. "I know." But Jack didn't think he was entirely convinced.

-----

Jack paced his room restlessly. It was late, but as of yet he hadn't even changed for bed, too wired, too wound up to sleep. Sky was still in the infirmary, which was probably a bad idea all things considered, but Kat wanted to keep an eye on him, having taken over Sky's care from the 'incompetent, foolish, bungling moron' also known as Dr. Harris. Jack hadn't argued with that, any of it, from Kat's description of the doctor, to her ripping him to shreds with a tongue lashing that made Cruger's lectures seem mild in comparison, to her taking over Sky's care. Normally it would have been her anyway, if other duties hadn't gotten in the way, and Jack thought that the feline scientist was already berating herself for not taking over sooner.

Still, while he might not agree with Sky overnighting in the infirmary, he trusted that Kat knew what she was doing, so he'd reluctantly left when she'd shooed him out. She'd also recommended that Sky take some leave, so as from tomorrow the other man was officially on leave for four weeks, the reasoning being that he would recover better at home. Theoretically anyway. Jack hated the idea. Oh, he understood the logic behind it, could even agree with it. Sky wouldn't recover when he was surrounded by all the stress that went with being a ranger, not to mention what would happen now that Cruger knew they were involved. His objection lay with the fact that he wouldn't see Sky, wouldn't be there if he was needed, and he would be, he knew and he was pretty sure that wasn't just his ego talking. Sky would need him. But in the grand scheme of things his objections on purely emotional grounds didn't count for much and he couldn't come up with any logical reason to fight the decision.

Finally though, enough was enough. He was driving himself crazy pacing the floor and there was really only one thing to do. Grabbing his jacket off the chair he left the room, heading for the infirmary. He didn't care what anyone thought anymore, he was spending the night in the infirmary. Word had gotten out anyway about him and Sky by now, at least if the sidelong looks and whispered comments were anything to go by, and he knew his team-mates wouldn't have said anything. Neither would Kat, and, despite his apparent antagonism, neither would the Commander, so the news had evidently gotten out because of someone else. He just didn't know who.

It didn't matter though. No one was going to stop him from doing this, no one was taking Sky from him, especially not now. He walked into the infirmary and stood next to Sky's bed for a minute, taking in the sleeping face of his boyfriend. On the rare occasions he'd gotten to see Sky asleep, the typically stern features were relaxed but now that wasn't the case, said features twisted in distress instead of softened by sleep. Reaching out he softly ran his fingers through Sky's hair, absently noting that Sky would probably be getting it cut soon as the back of it was just starting to brush the collar of his uniform jacket. He personally didn't mind, he liked Sky's hair being that little bit longer, but Sky wouldn't have it and whenever it started brushing his collar it was time for a haircut.

Strangely, combing his fingers through Sky's hair seemed to relax the other man, the tight features smoothing slightly. When Jack was satisfied that the crisis had been averted, he stepped back and climbed into the bed next to Sky's. Just in case.

-----

There were noises in the background, whispers that Sky couldn't make out but nonetheless knew that they didn't mean anything good. He was drowning in gut-deep terror, wracked with excruciating pain, but he didn't know what was causing it. All that mattered was that it was happening and he couldn't stop it, didn't even know _how_ to stop it. Then there was something holding onto him, wrapping itself round him and he couldn't move, couldn't even _breathe_. He felt his power building and building, inexorable, unstoppable, until it exploded out of him, leaving him completely drained.

When it finally sank in that he was awake, the first thing he was aware of was that he was sitting on the floor with Jack's solid presence next to him, murmuring soothing words in his ear and holding him as his body still shook with the aftershocks of his dream, his nightmare. He sank back into Jack's arms gratefully, soaking up the warmth of the other man's body as Jack's words flowed over him, not making much sense but calming him nonetheless.

"Better now?" Jack murmured in his ear and he nodded a little. Better was a state of mind, but he no longer felt like a dam about to burst.

"Yeah," he managed, his voice coming out not much above a whisper. He hesitated for a moment as they went to stand up, not wanting Jack to leave but not knowing how to ask him to stay. It seemed, however, as if he didn't have to, Jack muttering 'Scoot over' and curling up in bed next to him, an arm thrown protectively across his stomach.

"I'm right here, 'k?" was the quiet question and Sky nodded, ignoring the relief that had been flooding through him since Jack climbed into bed with him.

"Yeah, okay."

He felt Jack smile, the curve of the other man's mouth brushing against his neck where Jack's head was buried.

"Just don't blast me out of bed if you have another nightmare."

-----

Coming out of the small office, Kat did a double take when the second shape in Sky's bed caught her attention. It was only for a moment though, as her mind almost immediately recognised Jack as the dark shape wrapped around Sky and she smiled. She should have known Jack wouldn't stay away. Crossing the room quietly she picked up the laptop she'd been aiming for and then slipped back into the office, keeping the lighting low. Let them sleep. Chances were they'd need it.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six

Doggie groaned inwardly as Jack's eyes pleaded with him and he determinedly told himself not to give in. Jack wanted in on interrogating Dr. Kennedy, but he was the last person that should be in there, given his emotional involvement. He wasn't even letting the other members of B Squad in on this interrogation, for much the same reason, among others. Anyone who hurt one of his rangers as badly as this miserable excuse for a life form had, had to face the consequences, one of which was facing him. He'd get the answers he needed one way or another and B Squad was too close to the problem.

"Permission denied," he said firmly.

"But--"

"No, Jack!" Doggie snapped. "You are the last person I want in there. In fact, whenever Dr. Kennedy is in the interrogation room, I don't even want you in the same wing of the building. That way there's no chance of molecular 'accidents'. Am I making myself clear, Cadet Landors?"

He watched as Jack struggled to get his emotions under control, until finally his red ranger's expression went unreadable. "Yes sir," Jack replied tightly.

He nodded. "Dismissed, cadet."

Jack pulled off one his crispest salutes, then walked off down the corridor, his head held high, and when he was sure the young man was out of range, Doggie sighed. Jack's salutes only got that sharp when he was extremely upset. Or angry. Or both. It wasn't hard to realise it was both at the moment, but there wasn't really any other choice to be made. Jack was usually good at interrogation. Put him and Sky in with whoever was being interrogated this time and they pulled off the good cop/bad cop routine to perfection. The only person who came close to their success was Cadet Carson and that was mainly because he talked and talked until the criminal had had enough and was begging to confess, if only the constant stream of rambling chatter would just _stop_ already. He had to admit though, that the relationship between the two didn't seem to have adversely affected how they worked together. If anything, their working relationship had improved, becoming smoother, more confident, the pair of them working together as if they'd been doing it their whole lives.

He'd talked about this with Isinia and his wife was firmly of the opinion that he was being ridiculous. At first it had seemed that her time as Gruumm's captive had changed her, and at first it had. Her first few of weeks of freedom had been trying for both of them - him in having to adjust to having her back, her in getting used to being free again - and she'd been more dependent than was normal. Slowly though she'd become accustomed to breathing fresh air, having the freedom to go wherever she wished and as she adjusted to that her independence reasserted itself, the independence that had drawn him to her in the first place, and now, after a year of being together again, she clearly felt able to tell him in no uncertain terms when he was being a fool.

He, of all people, couldn't begrudge two hearts finding each other and Isinia had gently suggested that perhaps it wasn't the relationship itself that bothered him, but it was the suddenly being confronted with it out of nowhere that upset him. He hated to admit it but he was beginning to think that maybe she was right. Since the fall of Sirius he'd had to be in control at all times, and even now not being in control, having things happen outside of his awareness, left him deeply uneasy. Unfortunately, it was starting to look like his attitude had damaged the relationship he had with his rangers, Jack in particular, and he didn't know how to fix it. It was just that whenever the subject came up, the things he'd meant to say didn't come out, or came out wrong, and it was pushing Jack further and further away. Hopefully when Sky returned to the base they could work on that. He just hoped that it wouldn't be too late by then.

-----

Jack bounced on his heels outside the house, waiting for the door to open. While technically he'd known where Sky lived (when he was off base, anyway) he'd never been here before and he felt a little out of place among all the suburbia. He didn't think he'd ever been in this part of town before either, he and Z sticking to the inner areas of the city, so it was something of a new experience.

The door opened and revealed a blonde woman in probably her early forties or so. Sky's mom. "Can I help you?" she asked politely, expression neutral.

"Ah, hi. Yeah, I was looking for Sky, is he in?"

"Who's asking?" The neutral mask had slipped, replaced with what looked like suspicion.

Jack opened his mouth to respond but he was interrupted before he could even get his name out.

"Jack?" came Sky's voice behind his mom. "What're you doing here?" That was when the man himself stepped into the doorway.

"Hi Sky, nice to see you. I'm fine, thanks for asking."

Sky rolled his eyes and turned back inside. "You coming in or not?" came floating back before Jack could protest the casual dismissal and he glared at the other man's back before raising his eyes to the sky, silently asking for strength.

"Why me?" he muttered as he cautiously stepped past Sky's mother, giving her a charm-filled smile that appeased her not at all. Although it seemed like she'd relaxed with the realisation that he was one of Sky's friends and he wondered if her reaction had been normal or if it had anything to do with the call she'd made to base this morning, demanding to know what had happened to her son. Cruger hadn't been able to placate her and Jack had been concerned enough that he'd defied the orders to give Sky space to recuperate in and come over. Sky seemed fine though, at least from first impressions and he followed his boyfriend upstairs, into Sky's room.

"Aren't you supposed to be in class right now?" Sky asked as he sank onto his bed. The room was quite different to the one he shared with Bridge back at base. Just as tidy, this room was nonetheless full of stuff; bookshelves lined the walls in neat layers and there was a music stand with various albums on it - all the personal items that were missing from his room on base.

He shrugged. "Class was cancelled." Coincidentally it even happened to be true. "Lieutenant Shavin's got the flu and there was no-one else available to teach the advanced surveillance class, not with Lieutenant Maxwell off on maternity leave, so--" he shrugged again, "class cancelled." And it just happened that he was off duty anyway so he'd skipped out before the Commander could find him something else to do instead. "So, what about you? Enjoying your time off?" he asked with a grin, knowing exactly what Sky thought about this whole 'medical leave' thing.

It was Sky's turn to shrug. "It's okay I guess. Got a chance to catch up on some stuff and mom seems to have decided that since I'm home for a month now's the perfect time to redecorate."

"Keeping you busy, huh?"

Sky nodded with a small smile. "I think she's worried about what will happen if she leaves me to brood."

"You? Brood? Whyever would she think that?"

Jack found himself on the floor with a sore backside after Sky shoved him off the bed and he stood with as much dignity as he could muster, ostentatiously dusting himself off and Sky smirked at him before his smug expression sobered. "Why are you here, Jack?"

"What, I can't just come visit?"

Sky didn't grace the comment with a verbal response, simply looking at him instead and waiting for his answer.

Jack sighed. "Okay. Firstly, because I wanted to and this is the first chance I've had and secondly…" He hesitated. "Did you know your mom called the base this morning?"

Sky's eyebrows drew together in confusion. "No. Why?"

Jack shifted uncomfortably on the bed. "Apparently last night was… not a good one," he said cautiously, but Sky's expression remained confused. "You remember anything about last night? After you went to bed?"

Sky shook his head. "No. Why? What happened?"

Jack winced a little. "I didn't get too many details, but the words 'shaking the house' came up."

"Shaking the house?" Sky repeated incredulously, staring at him as if he was expecting to be told it was all a joke.

"'pparently," Jack replied. "Look, we know your powers have gotten a little freaky since we got you back. Maybe this is just more of the same, a kind of reaction to whatever happened back there."

Sky sighed. "Great. As if I didn't have enough to worry about."

"Hey, it's not the end of the world, you know," Jack retorted sharply, not about to let Sky start feeling sorry for himself. "So maybe your powers are growing, you can handle it."

There was a brief flash of uncertainty before it disappeared under one of Sky's blinding smiles. "Your bedside manner leaves a lot to be desired," he teased and Jack wrinkled his nose at him.

"I never said I was good at tact, you know."

"This is true."

Mock-scowling, Jack pounced him, straddling his waist and gently pinning Sky to the bed, ready to let go if he needed to. "No respect, Tate, that's your problem."

"There's things about you to respect?" Sky retorted with a raised eyebrow and a grin threatening to break through. His fingers flexed reflexively in the grip but he didn't seem overly concerned. A little more tense than usual maybe, but not on the verge of freaking out. Whether he was recovering faster than anyone expected or whether he simply trusted Jack that much, Jack wasn't sure. He also wasn't stupid enough to think that Sky's issues would simply go away, the events of the previous evening a more than able demonstration. Still, for the moment Sky wasn't freaking out and he had the taller man all to himself and exactly where he wanted him.

Leaning forward, he gently brushed his mouth against Sky's, deepening the kiss slightly as Sky responded easily. Unfortunately his grip on Sky's wrists tightened automatically as he did so and Sky flinched away. "Sorry," he whispered, letting go and sitting back on his heels, giving Sky the chance to relax and catch his breath. A minute or so later the tension eased from Sky's body as he relaxed, eyes that had been tightly closed opening again and looking over at Jack, full of too many emotions for him to read. Much to his surprise, Sky held out a hand to him and when he took it Sky tugged him back up the bed so they were lying next to each other, Sky's head resting against his.

Reluctantly leaving about an hour or so later, Jack quickly scribbled down the number to the phone in his room and gave it to Sky's mom on his way out. "If you need to, call that number," he said and left, not giving her the chance to respond. He hoped she wouldn't need it. He was afraid she would.

In the early hours of the morning Jack was jerked awake by the shrill ringing of the phone and he groped round for it until he found it. "Landors."

"Jack? It's Shauna Tate. Sky, he's--"

"I'm on my way," he said, cutting off the frantic voice and climbing out of bed. Throwing his uniform on he frowned in concentration and the floor beneath him slid through him, followed by the next two floors until he was in the parking lot. Turning the ignition key on his bike he grabbed a spare helmet, not even realising as he did so that it was Sky's, and sped out into the night.

Reaching Sky's house he was dismayed to see the blue light behind the curtains and his gut clenched as he ran through the closed door and up the stairs. God, please don't let this be happening again, he thought as he took the stairs two at a time. If there was a god, he wasn't listening as Jack ran into Sky's room only to find Sky almost completely covered in the eerie shadow-light and ghostly armour from before, nothing Mrs. Tate had done had had any effect. Not stopping to think, Jack grabbed Sky's hands and ignored the unnatural chill emanating from them.

_Come on, Sky, don't let this beat you._

_-----_

Shauna Tate watched helplessly as the young man took Sky's hands in his, holding onto them tightly as he urgently tried to talk Sky out of whatever it was was happening. She couldn't deny that she was afraid. She had no idea what was happening to Sky and less idea of what could stop it, if Jack knew and could do something she was more than willing to let him try. She just hated feeling helpless.

Her hands clenched at her sides as Jack paused, took a deep breath and forced the tension out of his body and his voice. She watched as he let of go of one of Sky's hands, reaching out to where Sky's hair would be if it wasn't hidden by the ghostly helmet covering her son's face. His hand passing through it, the young man appeared to be stroking Sky's hair and that, along with the softly murmured words, set everything tumbling into place. Once she'd made the connection between this Jack and the Jack who was red ranger she'd felt better about him turning up out of nowhere to check on Sky, reassured that he wasn't one of the people who'd hurt her son in the first place and even when he gave her his number to call when he'd left that afternoon it hadn't seemed so strange. Nick had been the same, had taken his responsibility as red ranger so seriously that what would have seemed like excess concern from anyone else didn't even register. But now it looked like that wasn't the case.

Jack cared a lot for Sky, more than just a friend and team-mate should, it was obvious from the way he touched him, looked at him, the endearments falling from his mouth as he tried to bring Sky back to them. What she didn't know was if Sky knew. Finally though, it seemed to be having an effect as the armour faded and the light dimmed, leaving Sky tossing restlessly on the bed. Jack sat back, still holding one of Sky's hands, and she could see how much it taken from him to get Sky back - he looked exhausted, physically and emotionally.

"Is it over?" she asked and Jack nodded tiredly.

"Yeah. For now, anyway."

She nodded to herself, then looked across at Sky who'd settled now, sleeping easier. "What happened to my son?" she asked, determined that this time she'd get an answer. No amount of evasion would stop her getting to the bottom of this.

"We don't know," Jack replied, his exhaustion evident in his voice. "By the time we found him he was already freaking out big time and he doesn't remember any of it."

"What _do_ you know, then?" she snapped, her frustration leaving her ready to snap if she didn't find out _something._

There was a soft sigh in the darkness then Jack started talking, filling her in on the things they knew, and some of what they'd surmised. By the time he'd finished she wanted to take apart the people who'd done that to Sky, even though her rational side told her she couldn't.

-----

Jack twined his fingers around Sky's absently as he filled Sky's mom in on what he knew, not leaving anything out. She had the right to know, if anyone did.

"One last question," she said and he barely managed to stop the groan before it came out. God, he wanted to sleep.

"Shoot."

"How long have you been involved with my son?"

He choked. "Excuse me?" He couldn't have just heard what he thought he had.

"How long have you been seeing my son?" she repeated and yep, he'd heard right the first time. A quick glance didn't give him anything so he sighed and braced himself. "Almost a year. And please tell me you knew he was gay before this."

"Yes, I knew." If he didn't know better he'd swear she sounded… amused. Kinda.

"Oh, thank God," he sighed in relief. Sky kept so many things to himself that he wouldn't have been surprised if he hadn't told his mother he liked guys. It definitely wasn't a surprise that he hadn't mentioned he was seeing someone, although it did hurt more than he'd thought it would. He briefly sketched in the basics of how he and Sky had started dating - while Mirloc's escape and subsequent recapture had dealt with some of Sky's issues it hadn't dealt with them all and a quiet conversation had somehow turned into Sky kissing him and him kissing back. They hadn't looked back from there and they were still going, almost a year on. That was quiet an achievement.

By the time he'd finished talking Jack felt himself nodding off and a pair of hands was gently lying him down. "Go to sleep, Jack," came the quiet voice just before sleep won the battle with his conscious mind and tugged him down into oblivion.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven

The following morning, Shauna stuck her head round Sky's door to find the two young men still in bed. Sky was awake but he hadn't noticed her, his attention held by the other man in his bed, his eyes tracing Jack's features with a soft smile on his face.

"Morning, sleepyhead," she said with a smile and his head snapped round. "You'd better get him up otherwise he'll be late," she added with a nod in Jack's direction. Sky glanced at the clock on the bedside table and his eyes widened.

"Crap," he muttered. "Jack, wake up."

There was an unintelligible mumble and Shauna grinned as the young red ranger snuggled further under the covers. Sky scowled and evidently decided firmer measures were required, pushing Jack out of bed and sitting up himself. The startled yelp had no effect on her son and neither did the reproachful look Jack turned on him, Sky simply pointing at the clock which read 7:15. Jack's face paled measurably as that sank in.

"Shit!" he yelped. "Cruger's gonna kill me."

Sky simply sighed in resignation and, glancing round for Jack's boots, picked one up and handed it over. Jack grabbed it and pulled it on, rapidly tying the laces. Done and just on his way out, Jack stopped, reversed and fisted a hand in Sky's shirt pulling him into what looked like a fast and dirty kiss that left her son with a slightly glazed expression. "See ya later," Jack murmured as he let go, out the door a moment later.

It was then that Sky realised she hadn't left the room yet and he paled, then flushed. "I can explain."

Her lips twitched. "I'm sure you can. After breakfast though. And no, Jack is not on the menu." She grinned at the strangled choke and oh-so-scandalised _"Mom!"_ that followed her out the room.

-----

The visits continued, Jack coming over at least every other day, usually every day, although the times he arrived varied depending on the day and what duties he had. Not to mention the unpredictable timing of attacks that needed the rangers to suit up.

One morning though, Sky hadn't been up long, barely showered and dressed when the doorbell went. Frowning slightly he opened the door to find Jack there, two polystyrene cups in hand. "Morning."

"Morning," he replied cautiously, eyeing the cups in Jack's hands, the steam rising off them. "Do I want to know?"

"Coffee," Jack replied, as if it should be self-evident what it was. "From that place on the corner of Third Avenue."

Sky stared. That place did the best coffee and he stopped off there as often as he could get away with. "But that's over the other side of the city," he pointed out and Jack shrugged.

"Yeah, so? Can I come in or do I just get to stand here while the coffee goes cold?"

Sky blinked. "Oh, sorry." He stepped back and Jack grinned as he walked into the hall.

"I think the waitress there has a crush on you," he teased. "Because when she found out it was for you she pulled out all the stops, no extra charge."

"Oh shut up," Sky muttered. They'd had this conversation before and it hadn't been funny the first time.

Sitting down on the sofa they chatted quietly about various things - about the lab Boom had accidentally blown up again; the latest Bridge-invention that Jack still hadn't managed to figure out; the fact that Syd and Z were starting to act in worryingly suspicious ways that didn't bode well for whoever they were targeting. After that, the conversation drifted away from their friends and to what had been on TV the night before.

It was at about that moment that Sky realised he was pretty much talking to himself. Jack's head was leaning against his shoulder, the rest of him curled up at Sky's side, hands wrapped round the most-likely-cold-by-now coffee. "You know," he said casually, "coffee's supposed to keep you awake, not send you to sleep."

"Hm?" Jack asked blearily, looking up and blinking at him for a moment. "Oh. Sorry. I was on night watch last night."

Sky stared at the wall opposite him in shock as Jack ducked his head back down. Jack had gotten up early specifically to get the kind of coffee he knew Sky liked and come all the way over the other side of the city to make sure he got it. Not only that, he'd gotten up early after being on night watch the night before. Voluntarily. Usually you needed a fork-lift truck to get Jack out of bed before ten o'clock in the morning when he'd had night shift, yet here he was at _eight_ o'clock in the morning. Willingly. This meant something, something big, something _important._ He just didn't know what. Oh, he knew Jack cared, had caught glimpses of something, something indefinable when Jack was distracted or thought he wasn't paying attention, but it was always gone again in an instant, leaving behind the Jack he was familiar with - casual, horny and loud.

Except… since this mess had started he'd seen more of the other Jack - the Jack who touched him like he was afraid he'd disappear again; the Jack who'd bring him coffee at seven thirty in the morning, even if he did fall asleep on him afterwards. Maybe, he thought, the realisation coming slowly, maybe he could start letting Jack in a bit more and see how things went from there. They'd been dating for about a year after all, that was a good sign, good enough to quieten his default emotional paranoia that everything would fall apart sooner or later. Maybe, just maybe, this wouldn't end in disaster after all.

* * *

I've been asked in various other places where this has been posted if there's going to be a follow-up and it's very possible. There are a lot of loose ends that haven't been dealt with the way I would have liked, so a sequel that deals with them isn't out of the question.


End file.
